To despise what world book day has become

[Whoinvented]

Currently searching for an outfit for my child who hates fancy dress but loves books. Why can’t schools just ask kids to bring their favourite book in? Why the expensive ridiculous need for a costumer every sodding year!!! We don’t have the money to waste, I’m crap at making stuff, my kids hate it. World book day has lost its meaning and can get fucked 😂

Both of mine dislike reading (despite my best efforts - I'm an avid reader) and hate fancy dress. And with my ND dd still in PJs and not currently attending school, all the WBD pictures simply add insult to injury. World Book Day can do one.

Irony is that most children will spend little to no time reading in school today on World Book Day as schools will be busy taking photographs and staging media. Farce.

my severely disabled autistic one was completely thrown by the change in routine by wearing different clothes. It wasn't worth the disruption so I opted out of any dress up days with him. Otherwise he thought it was a day off school would lose the plot. Every family should just do what is best imo. If that involves going in pajamas or football kit so be it .

I voted yabu purely because for most of the children it’s a bit of fun. I never bought costumes they always just wore dress up that they already had at home or as they got older, their own clothes/football kit. I might have made a prop.

Having said that, I can imagine how stressful it must be for some neurodivergent children. I think schools should be making it absolutely clear that it’s optional and giving the option to wear a onesie/pyjamas.

At the end of the day there are so many book characters that anything goes, even school uniform.

I sewed elaborate costumes from scratch every year, and only from “proper books” - I was a fucking nightmare 🤣

Few years ago now, my daughter went as Tracy Beaker. She just wore old clothes! Thank you Jacqueline Wilson.

Nobody needs to buy costumes just for world book day - we never have. My kids have occasionally used a costume they already had in their dressing up box (when they were little), but most years we cobbled something together from their normal clothing (or occasionally borrowed an item from a friend / made props). So many book characters just wear normal clothes! PJs are always an option (the midnight gang), and lots of Roald Dahl characters wear normal clothes or school uniform. Then there's Lottie Brookes, etc. You don't need to be good at crafting/sewing and you certainly don't need to buy anything! It's only a bit of fun. And I'm sure most schools won't force kids to dress up if they actively dislike dressing up, just speak to the teacher.

Saw a thread on Facebook where a parent had dressed their primary-aged child as Jim off 'Friday Night Dinner' (justified it by saying the school had said come as your favourite character...). A few people suggested the programme isn't really suitable for younger children and the avalanche of others saying their primary-aged kids (one poster had a 3 and a 5 year opld who both "love it") really like it was quite surprising.

I think WBD has got entirely out of hand. Schools are putting pressure on parents - quite a few of whom really cannot afford to buy costumes and even if the 'pyjamas' option is given, may well have children with no pyjamas or certainly not ones they care to send them to school in. They could do a day of activities celebrating books without the dressing up, surely?

The worst is children in football kits or film character outfits. Not the point of booking day.

Our school has a no football kit rule.

I loathe World Book Day.

Humblebragging for people of a certain demographic. Guaranteed to make people outside that demographic feel shit about themselves. A nightmare for working single parents.

And as far as I know has no measurable impact on reading.

My kids school decided on pyjamas this year for “a cosy day reading books”.

Thank god because I hate dress up and spending money on cheap tat costumes.